No Regret Friday – a challenge to moms

October 14, 2011

Dear Max

I’ve driven drunk before. When I younger and stupider. And when I wasn’t thinking. And when I thought I was more invincible, like when I thought “I can do this. Nothing will happen to me. It happens to other people”.

I can’t take back stupidity or irresponsibility, all I can do is not make the same mistake. As a mom now, I have more than just one person to think of, and there is less place for recklessness and naivete, which is a “job” I take on happily and gratefully.

There’s a movement in South Africa called No Regret Friday, started by SAB, that encourages people to be responsible about drinking and driving on every day of the week, not just Fridays. No Regret Friday is becoming almost a buzz word here now, causing people to reconsider the next time they get behind a wheel drunk. Sadly, I don’t think campaigns are the cure-all for stupidity and drunk driving, but if it helps two, or 20 or 200 or 2000 to think before driving drunk, then its job is done.

No Regret Friday is giving away an SAB SmartChoice 45 GoodFellas membership and a Smarty 25 membership to one of my blog readers who submits a story of drinking. Goodfellas is an awesome service that drives you home in your own car when you’ve had too much to drink – see www.gfellas.co.za. Your story could be how you know about someone affected by drunk driving, or it could be a pledge to your kids – it’s up to you, and it can be long or short. Submit a story under comments, and I’ll send it to www.noregretfriday.co.za.